From the Sea and With It There Is Love
by Hada-Fiction
Summary: Arthur felt like he was in a—-dare he say it—-a zombie movie. Everywhere he looked, there were monsters and all he was trying to do was survive the worst. One-shot request from Sanguinehero on Tumblr. Edited to FFnet standards; unedited link coming soon.


**Author's Note:** This request was just too fun to pass up and, even as a struggled to make up the story on the spot, I enjoyed every minute of it. Beta'd by the ever gracious **Peac91310**! _[Important update below.]_

**Warning:** mild language and biased descriptions of children.

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><p><strong>From the Sea and With It There Is Love<strong>

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><p>Arthur felt like he was in a— dare he say it—zombie movie. Everywhere he looked, there were monsters and all he was trying to do was survive the worst. He had very little at his disposal and, with the constant screams sounding through the air, he felt he wouldn't last until the day's end. Oh, yes, the day was an auspicious one indeed. This was the day that every child on the block came through his house with their dirty feet, having forgotten to stop at the (un)welcome mat, and swarm the backyard like a disease. He was not pleased.<p>

Who had he to blame for all this? Arthur shifted in his stance against a free wall in his kitchen as he watched the source of the plague go about without a care. It was a shame that the very cause of the plague was also his longtime partner, but then they did say that evil would always go after the ones you loved. Just like in just about every plot where the villain was smart enough to exploit the hero's soft spot. Bollocks, even Sherlock Holmes had his moments. Even so, it still hurt.

"Hey, Artie, can you help pass around cake to the kids outside? I'm filling up some cups with fruit punch and don't have enough hands, babe!" Alfred kept his winning smile, even when Arthur answered with sourness, and handed him the four paper plates he'd been holding. Arthur took a firm grip on them as Alfred let go, if only to save the cleanup, and watched as he busied himself with items in the refrigerator. Arthur sighed and steeled himself for his encounter with the monster—children—beyond the door to the backyard.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard those raucous screams and the kind of laughter that would've warmed another's heart. _All it does it make me feel nauseous,_ he thought.

Arthur chased down the children and tried to persuade them to sit at the picnic tables to eat while having to make a few more trips back to the kitchen for forks and napkins. He hoped the buggers would at least remember to wipe off their fingers before they touched anything else. It was already enough to scold a few of them to stop picking his flowers.

At the head of all this mischief was Peter, who had been convinced that the party was "lame" as he put it and would not run around with the others. Instead, he had decided to give Arthur as much trouble as he could and would not give it a rest unless Alfred was in proximity. When he saw Peter's eyes on him, Arthur tried his best not to trip over preschoolers running as he was getting away. This caused the air generator for the bouncy castle to go unnoticed until the moment his leg bumped it and gravity did its work. He groaned and tried to recover from having his face planted in the dirt. That was enough time for Peter to march up to him until he towered over him, right next to his face with his arms crossed.

"Hey, jerk brother, this party can bite it! Where's the airplane show? Where are the fire-eaters or the acrobats? Where's Alfred!" He waved his hands around to gesture his disappointment and left them at his hips when he finished. Arthur pushed himself off the ground and tried not to fall into another argument.

"I already told you," he sighed, "Alfred said he was working on something special for tonight and he put me in charge." Peter pouted as he watched Arthur stand to his full height and stomped his foot.

"But it's boring with you! That's why Mum and Dad asked Alfred to host my birthday party." Arthur opened his mouth to interject when a child ran into him spilling her cake all over his cardigan. He was split between comforting the girl as she started crying and listening to Peter go on: "I'm the birthday boy. Birthday boys are supposed to get what they want."

Arthur shook his head and sighed as he lead the girl back inside for another piece of cake, Peter following him. He was only half listening to the boy at this point, wondering if the girl would soon make shambles of her cake again as she trotted outside again. He was still going on as Arthur returned his attention to him and began walking with him as he did, like a duckling. While passing by the kitchen on his way upstairs to change, he saw Alfred in the front room arranging all the gifts. All the noise cut off as Arthur knew it would and Alfred turned to smile at both of them.

"Hey, guys! Are you enjoying yourselves?" _If wanting to beat your head into a nail-ridden door was enjoyment, Arthur was fucking fantastic._

"Alfie!" Peter ran to Alfred and hugged him around the waist as he straightened from his crouch. Arthur grimaced. Peter was wearing his sweetest smile before it turned into a pout. His cheeks were puffed in a way a grandma would be itching to pinch. Arthur took some satisfaction in knowing the Peter would hate that to the extreme. "Everything's all right but I'd like it more if you were there with me! You promised, you know."

Alfred's warm smile made Arthur squirm but he had his eyes on Peter as he laughed and patted his head. "I sure did and you know what? Heroes don't break their promises. I'll be out there to make things more awesome when I'm done here, all right Champ?" Peter tried not to smile but giggled a little at Alfred's tickling him before making Alfred promise again and running out to play with renewed vigor. Arthur's gaze followed him out and sighed at everything wrong with today.

"You holding up, Artie?" Arthur looked back at Alfred and saw him run his eyes over his disheveled figure. Alfred laughed softly when he saw Arthur roll his eyes, "I'm guessing they've been a handful, huh?"

"Well, they—" he paused, "They've been tame so far. This was only a slip up. I'm going up to change and then I'll be right as rain." Arthur didn't think Alfred needed anymore to think about after setting up the entire party and even taking over the activities while Berwald and Tino were away. Alfred nodded but grabbed Arthur's hand when he turned to go upstairs.

"I'll keep my promise to you too, okay?" Arthur didn't turn. He could feel a heat rise in his cheeks at the implications and tried to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"What promise? I don't remember anything of the sort."

"I've been making it to you in my head but I forgot you can't read minds," Alfred chuckled.

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Arthur, resting his chin on his shoulder and whispering into his ear. "I promise you and me are going to do something special when we're done here."

Arthur laid his hand over Alfred's and tried to hold back his smile much like Peter had before. He brushed away the similarity, "The correct order is 'me and you', Alfred."

Alfred laughed as he always did but it was bittersweet that he pulled away and went back to the presents.

"Of course it is, Arthur. You know I always put you first." Arthur could hear the laugh in his voice and smiled as he climbed the stairs.

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><p>Alfred had finished before Arthur returned to the backyard and was already engaging in a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" with all of the children sitting in a circle. It was starting to get dark now and Alfred had turned on the electric lanterns he'd set up the morning prior. Everything was starting to settle down now as the children were becoming worn down and they were far less rambunctious than before. If it were like this from the beginning, Arthur thought he would've had much more patience. Even at their worst, he supposed, patience came with time.<p>

Arthur leaned against the frame as Alfred jogged just fast enough for the boy crowned "goose" to keep up and finally tag him. He made a big show of this by tumbling into the grass and everyone laughing at his defeat. Arthur chuckled as he watched all the kids break formation and dog pile on top of him, untying his sneakers and stealing his glasses. He shook his head at the display and decided to come to the rescue before one of them got hurt.

"All right, everyone. It's time for presents. Come inside!" The children ran past a rumpled Alfred on their way inside, Peter leading the way, and settled themselves on the floor in front of the corner table. Arthur went to lend his lover a hand before shutting the door behind them.

Peter had already started on his first present; one that Arthur recognized as his own. The two of them sat on the floor to Peter's left and watched as torn wrapping paper revealed a smart looking jacket within the box. Peter made a face and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, next present!" He set aside the box roughly and reached for another. _That little–! He didn't even take it out of the box!_ Arthur could feel Alfred's gaze on him but kept his smile in place, despite it looking bitter. He was confident that Peter would love his gift but if that was how it was going to be, Arthur would see to it that the brat would know his wrongs.

They sat though present after present, some children were picked up early and waved good-bye as they left, until almost all were opened and everyone had dropped out of the group until no one was left. After they put the last ones on the table, displaying like all the others, Alfred clapped his hands and turned to Peter.

"All right, Pete! Go get into your pajamas, okay?" Peter turned from returning one of many action figures and wilted. Arthur looked to Alfred to see him still cheerful if not a bit more relaxed now. Peter's mood didn't seem to affect him.

"I'm going to bed already? But, Alfie–"

"You _are_ going to bed," he said, "but I have something to show you before that. You gotta be in your pajamas to see it, though."

The boy was up the stairs before Alfred had finished and he followed him with his gaze and a bright smile. He turned back to Arthur and took his hand, pulling him into the kitchen once more. They settled by the counter, pulled out cups, and put the kettle on as they waited. Arthur leaned with his back to the cabinets as he watched the water boil while Alfred readied the cups and then stood watching Arthur for a moment. It didn't take long for their eyes to make contact and Arthur's lips quirked into a small smile.

"What?"

"You handled yourself pretty well for not liking kids," Alfred said. He moved closer and placed his hands on Arthur's hips. Arthur scoffed.

"I never said I disliked them," he said as his hands moved to mirror Alfred, "The only thing I dislike is the noise and the cleanup. Believe it or not, cleaning is not my favorite thing to do despite constantly having to do it." Alfred smiled but didn't say more. Instead, he leaned into a soft kiss to Arthur's lips and pulled away an inch.

"I'm serious, love. You know what we're going to have to do once Tino and Berwald come to pick up Peter."

Another kiss. "I know, Arthur. I'll make it fun, hero's promise." Alfred smiled again with Arthur when the kettle began to whistle. They broke apart so Arthur could fetch it but Alfred kept close.

"Another, eh? Goodness, Jones, if you keep this up you'll have quite a debt with me." He filled all the cups with hot water and they stirred the contents.

"Don't worry, sir. I have plenty of time to pay up." Arthur laughed when Alfred snuck another kiss to his neck, just before Peter entered wearing his robot pajamas.

"Okay, I'm ready! Where's my surprise?" Peter bounced on his toes and looked around the kitchen before looking up to Alfred for an answer. Alfred gave Peter his cup of hot chocolate and ruffled his hair.

"Out on the back porch, buddy, meet us there." Peter nodded and hurried as fast as could with his head down to check nothing spilled. "You going to get his coat? It is cold outside after all."

"Yes, I was just thinking I would." Arthur moved to the living room to fetch Peter's new jacket from its box and pulled off the tags as he backtracked out to where Alfred was bringing the lawn chairs back onto the porch. Peter and Arthur settled into their seats while Alfred disappeared into the shed at the back of the yard.

"Here," Arthur held out the jacket to Peter, who sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Awww, not this again—I already saw it, Arthur." He tried to push it back but Arthur held it steady in his lap.

"No, you _haven't_. Cripes, if you had really looked we wouldn't be having this conversation. Just turn it over."

Peter frowned at Arthur before he obeyed without much care and looked down at its design. It looked like an ordinary letterman jacket, a blue letter "P" sewn into the chest, but on the back was something unexpected. A stylized wave in blue and white embroidery curved and twisted around a number two in the very center, and at the base of the wave swam a dolphin coming up for air. Arthur already knew how much Peter loved the sea and from that a dolphin as his favorite animal. It had taken him quite some time but when Alfred had volunteered to host the party, Arthur found that he couldn't fit in everything he'd wanted from the original design. Perhaps that was all right.

"Woah! I've never seen one like this before." Peter grinned and pulled it on, "Now I can be just like Alfie, isn't that right?" Arthur nodded and Peter ran off to show Alfred who was carrying a box out and closing the shed. Peter talked as Alfred began setting everything he needed together and Alfred listened patiently with a smile, still focusing on making sure everything was as it should be, until he pulled out a lighter from his pocket and turned to face Peter.

"All right, get back to Artie so we can get this going," he said and lit the wicks, running after Peter to the porch as they hissed. Soon the whirring of fireworks went off and the trio heard them shoot into the air and crackle. The bursts of color blossomed here and there and they could feel the heat blow back at them just as the light did. They held close as they watched and Arthur thought he heard Peter mumble something wasn't so bad.

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><p>By the time Tino and Berwald arrived from their flight, it was getting late and Peter had fallen asleep not too long after the fireworks. The two had thanked Alfred and Arthur for their help and said they would pick up the presents tomorrow. Tino offered to help clean but Alfred, who wouldn't allow it, sent the trio out the door with Peter curled into Berwald's arms under a blanket. The house was quick to fall silent once again as the door shut and Arthur sighed out the last of his stress from the day. Alfred whistled.<p>

"Man, that was a doozey, am I right?" Alfred said and turned to Arthur. He was already looking at the mess around them: wrapping paper pushed to the side and under the corner table, plates and cups resting on any sort of ledge, remnants of the party left in odd places. "Hey, don't worry about it. With me here, cleaning the house will be a cinch!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at that but gathered up what he could reach and went off to find a trash bag for it all. Alfred was crumpling and balling up everything he could crush and had about ten cups stacked together when he met Arthur in the kitchen. They gathered, crushed, and shoved as much trash as they could into each trash bag to tie up and pile next to the door. The leftover treats from the party were put in plastic containers and saran wrap, stored in the refrigerator to give away or snack on another day. Counters were wiped off, decorations taken down and, despite the effort, they finished sooner than Arthur thought. Cleaning the last of the party from the backyard found them lying in the bouncing castle, looking up through the mesh and fringe of lanterns at the stars.

"Remind me to kill you later," Arthur said and fell to the vinyl flooring next to Alfred. He heard a soft laugh and felt the floor move before he saw him hovering above him among the stars.

"What? It's not like you didn't enjoy yourself, 'cus I know you did." He leaned closer and Arthur felt the heat through his clothes. The nights in September weren't cold yet but they still had a chill to them that made the thought quite inviting. "And I've made good on three out of four promises so far. Have you been keeping track?"

"Indeed," Arthur smiled. He ran his hand up Alfred's shoulder and settled just under his jaw. "What of the last, then?"

Alfred straddled him and leaned down close, a gentle press of lips serving as answer enough. Arthur hummed approval, his lips moving in time with Alfred, and he ran his hands up his sides until they rested on Alfred's shoulder blades. They stayed that way for a while tasting one another, occasionally biting at the other's lip or running a hand through their hair.

It wasn't until Alfred began to push up his shirt that Arthur looked at him disbelieving. "So, we're really going to do this—in a bouncy castle?"

"We sure are! King Arth–"

"_Don't_ say it," Arthur said with a smirk and narrowed eyes, "I think it would be best to keep what respect I still have for you."

"Gee, if that doesn't turn you on I don't know what will." Alfred grinned as he laid another quick kiss on Arthur's lips and he pushed up his shirt further, trailing love bites down the taut muscles of his abdomen. His large hands smoothed over the skin he couldn't reach, a firm grip that made Arthur sigh in content. He played with a few strands of Alfred's hair as he watched, tugging on them now and then, and cupped his face when he did pull away from Arthur's skin.

He gave Arthur a smile quite different from the one he was prone to give Peter, far removed from the movie star grin he flashed like a camera; Arthur could feel how special this one was. Even though he had seen it too many times to count, it still felt new. The way Alfred kissed his hand and asked if he was ready for more, Arthur knew. It was all in those beautiful eyes and those lips and hands as they gazed, caressed, touched upon him lightly like a pleasant breeze. The best part was that Arthur knew it wasn't anywhere near over yet.

Their hands scratched at skin, ran through the other's hair, and held firm onto their flesh in a wanting that transcended their own bodies and into the other's soul. _I want you_ was in their eyes and on the tips of their tongues, riding on the hot gasps that floated up to the stars and in the names they called with longing. They rocked back and forth searching for their release, their world giving way and producing a wide and endless sea. Waves crashed over them likened to their touch. Where it met with the surface again was their kiss and the ocean spray was their contented sighs.

They came in close succession after a few more thrusts and Arthur lowered himself to rest on Alfred for a moment. They closed their eyes and all was quiet again except for their breathing. This moment was just the two of them, the stars spread out above them, and the grass whispering in the breeze with the lanterns' sway.

Arthur pulled himself out when his breathing began to slow, taking off the condom and tying it up. Alfred exhaled a whoosh of air and then sighed.

"Peter's not the only one who had a good day," he said. Arthur turned to look at him and scoff. He clapped him on the leg with a smile before pointing to their clothes. "Oh, right: clothes. You know, now that we're not fucking like rabbits, it's freezing out here!"

Alfred had pulled on his clothes halfway when he decided instead to gather all of Arthur's clothes and then the man himself before sprinting to the door in a flurry of curses. The day was indeed lovely for all involved, even in the case of headaches and tough-but-loving children and, yes, bouncy castles. And it was ended with a long bath, a comfy bed with soft blankets, and a lover's company. They smiled into the arms that wrapped the other and went to sleep, dreaming, rocking to sleep like the rhythm of the sea.

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><p>UPDATE: This story is a presentable version complying with FFnet's standards for the M rating: "Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA [which is not allowed on this site anymore]." The original version will be uploaded on Livejournal and will contain all of the fics featured here as well as unedited mirror versions. Link coming soon. Thanks for reading this and hope to see more of you in the future. Livejournal and my settings allow anonymous commenting (as well as login using Facebook, Gmail, etc.) so don't be shy about commenting.<p>

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><p>AN: Anyway, Sealand's birthday is September 2, 1967 when he was first founded by Mr. Paddy Roy Bates, which is why I put the number two on his letterman jacket instead of the number fifty, like America. As far as I know Sealand has only had two rulers, Mr. Bates and his son. I think Sealand would have a cute nickname for his founder just like Prussia has one for his favorite ruler, but that's just me.

The other half of the request was for the smut in a bouncy castle and I couldn't help but laugh when I thought of children's birthday parties and screaming brats running around. XD Of course, Sealand was added by proxy but, I've read enough from others about the dynamic between brothers and their thoughts on how Sealand regards America that I thought I'd take a crack. I loved to put myself in a smaller person's shoes again and thought of some things I liked about childhood (bouncy castle included). Thanks for the chance to come up with this!

Anyone else can give me a pairing in my ask box (link in profile) with a request I'll write a little fic. I'll try to do any pairing in Hetalia but I do prefer US/UK/US (AU or canon).


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